CISRG Database

(Dams Database: Nurek, Tadjikistan)

History of Nurek Dams

Norek Dam is the highest existing dam (300 m)in the world situated on the Vakhsh river, and Rogun (335 m) on upstream is the next potential highest dam.

Nurek dam is known as one of the basic RIS cases (twenty-Q60,R40**), and beneficiated by collaboration of both superpowers monitoring and interest in the specifics associated to the global seismic monitoring issues. Even so, the issues of RIS of the Nurek site could not be considered as fully solved. The observations and outcomes are applicable for the development of the Rogun Dam and mitigation of the hazards of RIS in the area of the new dam development.

It has to be noted that during the local political disturbance significant observations were lost. This presumed lost data as well as the long term components of the RIS may be bridged by pertinent ongoing monitoring which still must be reinforced by complementary equipment

Based on the USA-USSR Exchanges in Earthquake Prediction, Nurek is one of the most completed RIS monitoring. Elements of RIS control through relationship of activities and the Rate of Impoundment (Operations) might have application for other seismic reservoirs elsewhere.

Seismicity of the Nurek reservoir was related to two separate filling sequences and temporal variations in post-impounding seismicity associated to the reservoir operations and migration of the seismic sources in the area, which were not fully deciphered yet . ( Simpson and Negmatullaev, 1981).

Reservoir data from the Nurek reservoir gives us the variation of capacity and flooded area and their relationship to the height of the reservoir. The variation is explained by the following graph.